Improvement in mounting and maneuvering cannon



VILBIE. Y

0. HOPKINS.

Gun-Carriage.

Patented 'Deaf l?, 1861.

A2,940. NO' 33,944.;

NPETERS. PHOTO-LITHOGRAPHER, WASHINGTON. P C- UNITED STATES PATENT OFFICE.

OBADIAH HOPKINS, OF NEW YORK, N. Y.

IMPROVEMENT IN MOUNTING AND MANEUVERING CANNON.

Specification forming part of Letters Patent No. 33,944, dated December 17, 1861.

To all whom it may concern:

Be it known that I, OBADIAH HOPKINS, of the city, county, and State of New York, have invented a new and useful improvement in mounting cannon for sea-coast and harbor defenses and for naval purposes, called Hopkins reciprocating elevators for mounting a double battery for barbette or casemate guns g and the following is a full, clear, and exact description of the same, reference being had to the accompanying drawings, making a part of this specification, in Which- Figure l shows a top View or plan of the rotating platform, elevator, and double guncarriage. Fig. 2 represents a side elevation of the balance-frame for mounting cannon.

My invention consists in the construction and arrangement of a balance-frame for mounting two guns in such a manner that one of them may be elevated above a parapet to be discharged, while the other is depressed entirely below and is placed in the most convenient and safe position for loading.

To enable others skilled in the art to construct and use my improved mode of mounting cannon,I will proceed to describe it more fully, referring to the drawings, and the letters marked thereon.

The platform A represents the foundation of a rotating or pivot gun carriage, in the center of which is the pivot a, on which the base or platform B is secured and made to rotate. The platformB may be made of timber and plank, framed and bolted together in a substantial manner, orit may be constructed of wrought or cast iron. On the top of the platform B are two elevated frames or standards C C, of suitable height and strength to support the balance-frame D on its center and allow it to oscillate and change the position of the ends up or down. The balance-frame D is secured in its place upon the trunnions or strong arbors CZ el of a windlass E. To this windlass are attached four chains e e e e, by which means the gun-carriages F F are elevated above the parapet to be discharged and are alternately depressed below and are brought into a safe and convenient position to reload. On one end of the Windlass-arbor d is placed a wheel-G, similar to a ships steering-wheel, by which means the guns are easily elevated and depressed and brought into position, as above described. The long truck-frames of the gun-carriages F F are balanced on their centers and are secured to the ends of the frame D by strong, round iron bolts f f, passing through the Whole, making trunnions or arbors for the carriages F F to work on. At both ends of each truck-frame F F there is a small windlass vl t t' i or other suitable deviee, to which the chains e c e e are fastened in such a manner as to operate upon the gun-carriage F F and regulate the plane to any desired inclination, so as to affect the recoil of the cannon I I, which is mounted upon trucks or carriages J J in any of the approved modern styles of mounting heavy ordnance.

It will be observed that by the above-described arrangement and manner of mounting ordnance for sea-coast and harbor defenses the guns will not be in sight of or at all exposed to the euemys fire only at the moment they are elevated above the parapet to be discharged, and the gunners are not exposed at all to the enemy while loading, (as is now the case while working all guns en barbette,) the position of the depressed cannon being such behind the fortification as to provide ample room around the piece Without coming in contact with the wall or breast- Work; and in easemates there is the advantage of having two guns to operate alternately at one port-hole, one being in a safe position to be loaded, while the other is brought to bear upon the object and discharged.

In mounting cannon in this manner for naval purposes there may be the advantage of not having openings in the bulwarks, as the gun can be swiveledto any point, elevated and fired over, and is always in a position to fire right and left without turning round. In short, whenever ordnance is to be used for purposes of offense or defenseit is believed that this peculiar mode of mounting cannon has its advantages over all others.

Having thus fully described my invention, what I claim as new, and desire to secure by Letters Patent, is-

Mounting two guns and their carriages upon a balanced frame so constructed and arranged that they may alternately be elevat-ed and depressed above and below a parapet and brought into a safe position to be loaded and discharged, in the manner herein specified, and for the purposes set forth.

OBADIAH HOPKINS.

Witnesses:

EDM. F. BROWN, J. B. WOODRUFF. 

